1635 Han style rises again

On July 1660, 7, Hanzhou, Heishan City (near Palmerston, Australia today).

More than 600 military police and armed local soldiers were scattered outside the original horse-drawn railway station in Heishan City, blocking countless ordinary people who flocked to watch outside. In the station, there were also nearly 260 imperial guards and military police with live ammunition. Fully on guard, more than a dozen spies from the polling office mixed in the crowd watching the ceremony, staring warily at the businessmen, scholars and many officials who were invited to come.

King Qi and Queen led several young princes and princesses, stopped at the newly renovated station square, and were having cordial conversations with several master craftsmen of the Montenegro Machinery Factory. Duan Xianzhi, Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Wang Zhenliang, Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and many other important cabinet ministers accompanied him.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. This steam locomotive that is about to be put into trial operation has been thoroughly overhauled a few days ago, and it must be able to run smoothly on the rails." Yan Taiming, a master craftsman at the Heishan Special Machinery Factory, pointed to a huge locomotive on the rails. Towing the locomotive, he said solemnly.

"If the anchor broke down on the way, then I will definitely get back the bonus I gave you last year!" Qi Tian said with a smile: "In addition, there will be a heavy fine. Look outside How many people and officials are watching the operation of the world's first steam locomotive, and they are ashamed, but you, the chief engineer, are ashamed."

"..." It took Yan Taiming a long time to react when he heard the words "broken down, lying on the ground" and so on. It is estimated that the king is worried that the steam locomotive will have a mechanical failure on the way and cannot operate normally, and then he hastened to guarantee: "Wang In fact, if this steam locomotive breaks down and cannot operate normally, let alone the huge amount of money rewarded by the government, I will deduct my salary for a year, and I will accept it. At that time, I will drag it with a rope Pull it to Jianye City!"

"Hehe..." Qi Tian smiled, "The weight of this tractor locomotive is estimated to be no less than four or five tons, plus the passenger carriages and cargo carriages towed behind, it must weigh thirty to forty tons. How can you bring it to Jianye City?"

Since the steam engine was used on a small scale in various local factories and mines in Hanzhou more than ten years ago, the speed of technological development has increased rapidly, and a test railway steam locomotive was successfully manufactured two years ago.At the beginning, the steam pressure of the boiler used was not very high, about 0.3 MPa (3.1 kgf/cm2), and a flat cylinder was installed in the boiler.

The steam traction locomotive has two pairs of moving wheels, which are driven by gears.The locomotive is also equipped with a large flywheel, which maintains the reciprocating motion of the cylinder piston by means of its rotating inertial power.The locomotive weighs 6-8 tons, has a speed of 4-5 kilometers per hour, can tow 10-12 tons of goods, and has 5 small carriages for 70 passengers.

After more than two years of continuous improvement and technological upgrading, the locomotive adopts a more advanced and reliable horizontal multi-smoke tube boiler, which has a large heat transfer area and fast steam generation. MPa (0.4 kgf/cm4.06).The moving wheels of the locomotive have also been developed from two pairs to four pairs, and the weight of the traction locomotive has also been reduced to about 2 tons.This is the first steam locomotive with the basic structural characteristics of modern steam locomotives, and it is more advanced and practical than the locomotives built by the British Stephenson in later generations.

...

For this reason, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Transport deliberately remodeled a section of the horse-drawn track that had previously run from Montenegro to Jianye City, making it a track that is more suitable for the operation of steam locomotives.Back then, at the beginning of the construction of the horse-drawn track, due to concerns that the gauge would be too wide, the cost of railways, bridges, and tunnels that would pass in the future would rise sharply. The gauge used is 1.5 meters standard.

Today, it is the first time that the latest improved steam locomotive in Qi State is officially put into operation.In order to show that he attaches great importance to the operation of railways and steam locomotives, Qi Tian specially brought the queen and several young princes and princesses to congratulate him, and will be the first batch of railway locomotive passengers to sail from Heishan City to Jianye City.

The distance of this railway is very short, only less than seven kilometers, but it marks the beginning of the development of the railway in Qi State, and will greatly promote and enhance the transportation of personnel and materials in Hanzhou. In time, with the development of the railway Development will inevitably connect the entire Hanzhou Continent into an interconnected and unified market, and will greatly promote the effective control and development of land in inland and coastal areas.

"Woo..." With the loud roar of the steam locomotive, the steam locomotive named "Pioneer No. 1" began to start slowly. White smoke continued to rise from the chimney above the front of the locomotive. The passenger compartment and four cargo compartments, along with the running of the locomotive, slowly drove out of the station and headed towards Jianye City.

"It is said that this locomotive can reach a speed of about 25 kilometers per hour when it is unloaded, and it can reach a speed of [-] kilometers when it is fully loaded." Qi Tian looked at the crowds and scenery passing by outside the window, He smiled and said to his queen Luo Yuru: "If a railway is laid from Jianye City to Songcheng (now Catherine City in northern Australia) [-] kilometers away, it will take less than a day. This is more expensive than taking a horse-drawn carriage. Two or three days is much faster! The successful development of this train will usher in a great new era for Qi."

"This train is smoother and faster than a carriage." Queen Luo Yuru waved her hand in front of her, frowning and said, "But this soot smell is too strong."

"So, these officials wanted to flatter us, but they were all wrong." Qi Tian couldn't help laughing wryly when he heard this, "In order to let us better experience the feeling of train passing, they actually hung our carriage directly on the tractor. Behind the locomotive, so that it eats soot along the way."

Luo Yuru couldn't help laughing when she heard this, and turned her head to look at the princes and princesses who didn't seem to care about the soot from the tractor locomotive. They were lying on the window of the car, looking outside excitedly.

"The crown prince wants to follow along to see the excitement, why did you refuse to bring him here.... He has been lately, but has he made you angry?" Luo Yuru asked softly.

"How could he make me angry?" Qi Tian shook his head and said, "It's just for the sake of safety. You know, half a month ago, the explosion of the Heishan Gunpowder Factory was seized by the polling office and the police special service department. It proved that It was not an accident, but it was done by the Qing captives who sneaked into the mainland a few years ago. According to the clues, they arrested some Qing captive spies who were hiding in the mainland and overseas territories. The interrogation revealed that our royal family and government officials were all in It is included in the assassination list of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, it is best for the prince not to appear with me in such a lively occasion, lest he be taken over by others."

...

Luo Yuru couldn't help but startled when she heard this, and looked at her husband worriedly.

"It's all right." Qi Tian patted the back of Luo Yuru's hand, and said comfortingly: "It is said that in the past ten years, the Qing captives probably dispatched one or two hundred spies to infiltrate the mainland of Hanzhou and several overseas territories. , but so far, only such a major event as the explosion of the Black Mountain Gunpowder Factory has been made. I believe that the police, polling offices, and spies in black guards all over the country will dig them out one by one. In addition, there are many The spies of the Qing Dynasty were restricted by the strict domestic control and took the initiative to show up and surrender, coupled with our more stringent protection policy, they can't make any waves."

"That would be the best....Zhang Shoufu is coming." Queen Luo Yuru reminded in a low voice when she saw Zhang Wenqi, the chief assistant of the cabinet, stood up at the back of the carriage and was about to come to meet King Qi.

"Hehe, it's probably for the issuance of national bonds." Qi Tian looked at Zhang Wenqi with a bitter face, who was slowly moving over the rows of seats, and said with a smile: "Their cabinet government is too stingy. Issuing a national bond, which is still two years old, is only given an interest rate of six points. It is no wonder that some people in the market will buy it!"
-

"Raise the gun!"

"aim!"

"put!……"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

A row of armed police held muskets almost against the backs of the heads of the five prisoners, and pulled the trigger directly. After the gunshot, several prisoners fell to the ground, twitched twice, and then remained motionless.

After the shooting, the policeman carefully inspected the corpse with a bayonet, confirmed that all the prisoners were breathless, then collected their guns and left the scene.More than a dozen township soldiers endured the strong discomfort in their stomachs, threw the bodies of these prisoners onto the carriage one by one, and then escorted them towards the mountains outside the city.

After watching the execution, the onlookers were a little bit unsatisfied and reluctant to leave for a long time. They gathered in twos and threes in front of a notice board, listening to a Dali Temple official loudly read the resumes and crimes of the above-mentioned prisoners.

In other words, since the establishment of Qi State, there have been very few such public executions, and such executions are still carried out.In China, as long as it is not a very bad violent crime, treason, rebellion and other crimes, the death penalty is generally not imposed, and basically they are sent to overseas territories to serve hard labor.If you are lucky, you can survive the period of hard labor and start a new life.With bad luck, when they arrived in overseas territories, they either died of epidemics due to the harsh environment, or were tortured to death due to heavy hard labor.

But today, as many as five prisoners were publicly executed, which shocked ordinary people and made them curious.Who are these people, and what did they do that caused the officials to kill them and execute them directly.

"Hey, these damned Qing captives actually came into the territory of our country of Qi and caused such a big battle. Let me tell you, it's really a bit light to shoot them.... They should be cut into pieces, Ling Chi executed." A tall and thin man said loudly in the crowd: "Do you know? Half a month ago, there was a big explosion at the Gunpowder Factory in Heishan City, killing more than 20 craftsmen and guards, and injuring 40 to [-] people. It was these goddamn Qing captive spies who did it!"

...

"These thieves are really capable! They sailed thousands of miles to sneak into our mainland of Hanzhou, endured it for several years, and planned such a big event. As far as I am concerned, the officials should call up a large army and fight back. Get rid of those who are entrenched in the north of Ming Dynasty. Killed all the Qing captives, so as not to mess around and cause any damage in the future!"

"Conscript the army? You put it lightly!" A stout retired soldier looked at the man contemptuously, "Do you know how far our Hanzhou mainland is from Daming? Do you want to dispatch 1 people, or 10 people? Great army, cross-sea expedition, how much supplies will it cost! Can't you survive your little days? The most sensible thing we do now is to support the Nanming regime, push them to actively carry out the Northern Expedition, and let them unify the Ming Dynasty with our military assistance , destroy the Qing captives."

"Is the Nanming regime still working? I remember that they carried out the Northern Expedition last time, several years ago, and there was no movement at all. Shouldn't they be cowardly, and just separate from the Qing Dynasty and become the Southern and Northern Dynasties?"

"There was no movement before, but it doesn't mean that Nanming doesn't want to do something now." The former marine soldier said confidently: "Have you all read the newspapers? Shunzhi, the false emperor of the Qing Dynasty, suffered from smallpox in February According to history, died in 1661) and was succeeded by a child who was about seven years old! Tell me, what will Nanming do if he receives this news?"

"Come on, the puppet emperor of the Qing Dynasty is dead, and another child will succeed him. Then Nanming must gather an army to cross the Huai River and attack Beijing!" A businessman in his forties clapped his hands with joy. Said.

"Hey, maybe at this time, the fighting in the Ming Dynasty has already started! This Nanming has been recharging his energy for many years, so it's time to beat the Qing Lu to the ground?"

"That's not true! As long as our Qi army is there to assist, and the Qing captive loses the emperor again, and there is no leader, then he will be defeated and fled all the way back to his hometown in Liaodong!"

"Haha..., that's right. This Qing prisoner has been ruining Daming for almost 20 years, and he should have been kicked back long ago!"

Liang Yun'an listened silently in the crowd, but his heart was filled with anxiety.Lord Shunzhi died unexpectedly!Could it be that my Qing Dynasty is about to be driven out of the pass by the pseudo-Ming?Could it be that after the death of Lord Shunzhi, my Qing Dynasty was about to fall apart?
Liang Yun'an, formerly known as Tong Liwen, was born in the Zhenghuang Banner of Manchuria Eight Banners, a collateral descendant of Tong's family, and now the two brothers Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei, who are uncles in the court of China and first-class princes, are still his cousins ​​who have not left the fifth service. The real roots are Zhengmiao Red Eight Banners.

Two years ago, under the order of Suke Saha, he disguised himself as a fur merchant who voluntarily immigrated to Hanzhou, and brought more than ten elite people into the immigration fleet of Qi State, and traveled all the way to the mainland of Hanzhou.However, after arriving in Hanzhou, except for two people who stayed with him in Jianye Mansion, all the others were forcibly dispersed and assigned to other prefectures and counties in Hanzhou, losing all contact.

When I first came here, all the minions who entered Hanzhou were extremely cautious and did not dare to take any action.What's more, in the first three years of arriving in Hanzhou, they were all tied up in collective villages, working together, living together, and living together. How could these small workers who sneaked in have any chance to do sabotage.

...

However, because Liang Yunan (Tong Liwen) immigrated as a leather goods merchant, he had some freedom of movement when he arrived in Jianye City.However, under the strict control of Qi State, he still stayed honestly for more than a year, and while familiarizing himself with the environment of Qi State, he tried to contact the spy who had been lurking in Hanzhou before.

Although he only stayed for just over a year, Liang Yunan was surprised to find that the government of Qi State has very strict control over the people, not to mention the establishment of official officials and armed township soldiers in towns and villages in remote rural areas, even in cities. Inside, there are also countless monitoring, civil affairs officials and clerks in the neighborhood, patrol police on the market roads, spies from polling offices all-pervasive, and various travel reporting and residence review systems, which make everyone be caught by an invisible big The net is firmly controlled on this continent.

However, Liang Yunan, the spy leader who is loyal to the Qing Dynasty, and has the arduous task of assassinating important leaders of Qi State and destroying major facilities, how can he be intimidated by such a little difficulty? This kind of control of Qi State is nothing more than being older than me Qing is a little more detailed, but how can this stop the great things he wants to do.

Half a year ago, through a special method of contact marks, Liang Yunan successively found seven spies who had sneaked into Hanzhou Jianye Mansion, and carefully communicated with them, establishing a non-fixed connection.But to be on the safe side, he never mentioned his place of work and residence to the seven secret agents he contacted, and even went through some clever disguises every time he met.

After several months of planning, Liang Yun'an ordered several people to blow up the gunpowder factory under the cover of a spy who worked in Heishan Gunpowder Factory.In this way, it will definitely cause serious damage to the Qi country, and maybe it can reduce their firearm usage, and create favorable conditions for the Qing Dynasty to fight against the Ming-Qi coalition forces.

The attack went very smoothly. After the huge gunpowder factory exploded, almost half of its buildings were destroyed, causing nearly a hundred people to be killed and injured. The dull explosion sound and thick Thick flame.This once caused panic in Jianye City, Heishan City, and Xinhuai'an, thinking that it was a meteorite that fell from the sky, causing a huge explosion.

Originally, I thought that after doing such a big event, I had to run away quickly to avoid the limelight.But this damn state of Qi's management and control system can't make people escape to other places at all.Whether you want to leave the mainland of Hanzhou by boat or flee to the inland by horse-drawn carriage, you need to issue a corresponding application and certificate at the local civil affairs department, and you must have a familiar guarantor as a guarantor. After strict review, you can be allowed to travel.

Unfortunately, less than a week after the explosion of the Heishan Gunpowder Factory, the military and police department of Qi State captured five secret agents and killed two of them on the spot. They also carried out a comprehensive search and arrest in Jianye Mansion through the confessions of the captives, trying to Catch more fish that slip through the net.

Immediately after the incident, Liang Yunan applied to the Civil Affairs Office of his neighborhood to go out to sea by boat, hoping to leave Hanzhou mainland as soon as possible.But for some reason, there was no response to the approval application, which made him terrified.

Today, I came to the Civil Affairs Office of the neighborhood where I wanted to ask whether the application for going to sea was approved, but unexpectedly saw the scene of the public execution of my secret work.Moreover, mixed in the crowd, he heard some news that was very unfavorable to my Qing Dynasty, which made him feel a little lost.

"Hey, I finally caught you! This time, let's see where you are going!" He shouted sharply, and then a big hand grabbed Liang Yunan's arm suddenly.

Liang Yun'an was shocked, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead immediately.